Katie Ledecky stubbornly refused to surrender her 800-meter freestyle crown Saturday on the world championships in Singapore, successful that race for a seventh consecutive time and warding off Canada’s Summer season McIntosh who led a subject of gifted younger, would-be usurpers.
The seven world wins put Ledecky to the highest of charts of most triumphs in a single occasion, as she handed her personal file of six victories on the 1500 free and Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström of six titles within the 50 butterfly.
Ledecky stated she did not really feel an excessive amount of strain coming into this race, happy with how she’s been coaching all yr.
“It has been a very nice season and I feel coming into tonight, it doesn’t matter what the end result was, I used to be gonna be actually pleased with my season,” she informed NBC Sports activities. “And I feel I simply took the strain off and allowed me to benefit from the race and form of admire that second.”
Ledecky pressured the early tempo with McIntosh protecting her in shut vary.
The younger Canadian then took a quick, 0.14-second lead after 700, with Ledecky’s dominance showing to teeter.
However the veteran discovered one other gear within the closing 100, rallying previous McIntosh who fell to 3rd behind Australia’s Lani Pallister.
“That final 100 was fairly hectic,” Ledecky stated. “Lani was and Summer season was proper there.”
Ledecky clocked in at 8:05.62, Pallister at 8:05.98 and McIntosh 8:07.29. It was by far, the closest worlds win of Ledecky’s seven on the 800 free.
A upset McIntosh stated she didn’t swim in addition to she needed to, however will flip the web page and focus on her subsequent race within the 400 particular person medley.
“This can solely gasoline me,” she informed the CBC.
The suburban Washington D.C. native Ledecky stated she’s now trying ahead to a while off, time with family members and some dips within the pool she swam in as a teen.
“I am trying ahead to that,” she stated. “It is house to me however I am with the people who I like, across the pool.”
The niece of New York Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky has additionally been dominating the 800 free on the Olympics, having received gold on this race on the 2012 video games in London, 2016 in Rio, 2021 in Tokyo and final summer season close to Paris.
She’s the one lady to win the identical particular person occasion at 4 Olympics, in any sport. The one different swimmer to drag off such a four-peat was American legend Michael Phelps, who took the 200 particular person medley in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.
At age 28, Ledecky was the sector’s oldest swimmer and she or he outdueled her youngest and most fierce competitor, the 18-year-old Toronto native McIntosh.
Ledecky’s air of 800 invincibility was dented final yr when a 17-year-old McIntosh beat the American on the Southern Zone South Sectional Championships in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 8.
The Canadian prodigy opted towards swimming within the 800 in France to focus on different occasions. She took gold within the 200 butterfly, 200 Particular person Medley and 400 Particular person Medley to grow to be one of many breakout stars of final summer season.
If McIntosh takes on the 800 free in Los Angeles, Saturday’s race was a tantalizing preview of what could possibly be in retailer for 2028.
